Air-compressor and driving means therefor.



I M. G. SHARPNEGK. AIR COMPRESSOR AND DRIVING MEANS THEREFOR.

APPLIOA'I'ION FILED JULY 29, 1908.

Patented June 8, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I Iii/67d??? M. 0, SHARPNECK.

AIR COMPRESSOR AND DRIVING MEAN$ THEREFOR.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY'ZQ, 1908.

QQQQQgQ v Patented June 8, 1909.

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' 4fggf q M. C. SHARPNEGK.

AIR COMPRESSOR AND DRIVING MEANS THBREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED 311L129. 190s.

' 924,280. Patented June 8,1909.

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UNITED srrA'rEs 'rATnNT onion.

MATTHEW o. snA-R'PNEen, or Bos'roN, MASSACHUSETTS.

AIR-COMPRESSOR AND DRIVING. MEANS THEREFOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, lllAT'lHElV C. SHARP- xnok, ofBoston, in the county of Suffolk and State of ivlassachusetts have invented certain new and useful Improvements in.

Air-Compressors and Driving Means Therefor, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

This invention relates to improvements in air compressors having a series of air com-' pressing pistons working in cylinders and driven by an eccentrically disposed rotatable member and .in the means for driving said member.

()ne object of the invention to improve the construction -of air compressors of this ge'neralclass. 1

Another object of the invention is to so construct a traction wheel air compressor D that its annular actuating member may be driven from a traction way movablewith relation to said annular member.

Other objects of the invention ,will appear from the following. description of the ma- I chine and itsmanner of-operation.

.The invention consists in the combination with a traction wheelof a'traction element movable with relation to such wheel.

The invention also consists in the combination with an air compressor having a series of pistons and an annular eccentrioally disposed actuating member, of a pulley rotatably mounted and having its periphery in driving relation to such annular member.

The invention also consists in such other novel features of construction and combina tion of parts as shall hereinafter be more fully described and 'pointed out inthe claims.

Figure 1, represents a side elevation of the improved air compressor and its driving means shown in relation to an air storage.

tank. Fig. 2, represents an enlarged sectional view of parts of the same taken on line 22 Fig. 1. Fig. 3, represents an enlarged detail view of parts of the traction wheel compressor shown partially in section.

as on line 3-3 Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout.

As shown in the drawings in its preferred form the traction. wheel air compressor is mounted in a frame of suitable construction having pairs-of vertical members 5-5 con nected at their upper end portions by the plates 6-6, said. pairs being braced by the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 29,1908. Serial No. 445,931.

Patented June 8, 1909.

cross rods 77. In bearings carried/ by the vertical members is journaled the shaft 8 of a suitable pulley having'the annular rim E); provision being made for drivingsaid pulley from any usual source of power, as by the motor M herein indicated.

.Adjustably mounted in perforations of the plates 6-45 are screws 1010 whichbear against plates l111 at the upper endsof the springs 12-42 located between said 'platesi11--11 and the blocks 1313's1idably mounted between the vertical frame members 55 and resting on the studs 14-. -14t of the bearing collars 15 15. which collars are furnished with the diametrically extending studs l6l6 engaged between pins l717 of the slides 1818 free to move on the guides formedby the frame members 5 ;5 I

J ournaled in the collars 15-15 are the respective shafts or hubs 1 9 and 20 of the hub 21 having the hexagonal air chamber 22 embraced by the. water chamber 23 which communicates by a series of channels.2 1-24 with the annular chamber 25 in hub 19 the inner wallo'f which has a series of channels '2626 in registration with the perforations 27-27 of the water outlet pipe 28 located in the bore of said hub and having suitable stufling boxes 29 and 30 the latter of which air chamber 22 and integral with said chain ber and with said hub. Secured to the plug .34 is the axially disposed air delivery pipe 3,6 which is perforated at that portion within o air cham er 22 and, at its outer end is jourso I na'led in a suitable stufling box designed to be connected by a pipe F with the air tank T shown in Fig. 1.

The peripheral-wall of the hub 21 is furnished with a series of openings, preferably "ix in number, having stuffing boxes 37-37 furnished with drawing bolts 3-838 which carry clamping rings. fitting peripheral grooves in the compression cylinders 40--4=O having air cfnannels 4:0'10 which cylinders are thus removablv secured in said openings in the wall of hub 21 and extendshape. Between said plates 42-42 and thewall ofthe chamber 22 are located sheets of rubber 44-'44 furnished with cup shaped sleeves 45-45 which embrace the hemispherical projections or supports 48-43 and are retracted toward such supports by reason of their shape and material whereby the lips of these sleeves tend to close together when not distended by air under pressure passing inward through said sleeves.

At the outer ends of the cylinders 40-40 are mounted the frames 46-46 carrying guide rolls 47-47. Slidably mounted in the cylinders 40-40 are hollow pistons 48-48 having piston rods 49-49 and furnished with channels50-5O while at their inner ends these pistons have concaveperforated pockets 51-51 in the walls of which are slidably mounted rods as 52 furnished with retraction springs andcarrying the balls 54-54 having metallic caps 55-55 secured to said rods as shown in Fig.2 At the outer ends of the piston rods 49-l9 are rotatably mounted the rolls 58-58 and 59 of which the latter is of greater .diameter.

Mounted on the cylinders 40-40 is the annular member 60 having side flanges 61-61 circular in shape and'located between the sideplates 62-62 furnished with the annular ways 63-63 which register with the flanges 61-61 and form guides for the rolls 58-58 while the rolls 59 ride on the inner surface of the annular traction member 64 formed of segmental sections removably secured between the side plates 62-62.

The traction member is designed to bear against the rim 9 of the drive pulley and-to be driven by frictional contact therewith, and the weight of the hub and its related parts is sufiicient to press the member 60 downward until the periphery of its flanges 61-61 bear on the ways 63-63 of the side plates 62-62 in which position the axis of the hub 22 is eccentricto the traction member 64 andsaid ways 63-63. If now the drive pulley is rotated'the traction member 64 will be driven byits frictional contact with the flange '9 of said pulley and such motion will be frictionally transmitted from the ways 63-63 to those portions of, the flanges 61-61with which said ways are in contact so that the member 60 will be constantly rotated about an axis which is eccentric to the axis about which the tractionmember 64 rotates and the'ways 63-63 will thus form eccentric paths for the rolls59-59 ofthe plunger rods and hence said rods and their pistons will be forced inward as they travel below the longitudinalv line' of the axis around which the cylinders are driven andwill be drawn outward as they travel in the are above said line. hen under said rotative movement of the traction wheel, the pistons 48-48 move inward they force the air in the cylinders 40-40 through the perforations in the hemispherical supports and through theelastic valves 45-45 and as said pistons are retracted the valves 45 45'close. During the initial portion of such retraction the vacuum will tend to hold balls 54-54 seated in said hemispherical plates 43-43 and the pistons are free to move with respect to said balls until the concave seats 51-51 of said balls move slightly away and air is admitted between the balls and their seats to break the vacuum.

As the air is compressed in chamber 22 it isforced through the perforations in the delivery pipe 36 and thence through stutling box37 to pipe A. through which it passes to a reservoir or to some point at which it may be used. 1 v

In order to prevent overheating of the parts and to cool the compressed air, water is forced through the inlet pipe 38' and passes from said pipe into the channels 35-35 from whence it circulates through the water chamber 23 and around the sleeve 22 and back through the channels 24-24 into the compartment 25 of hub 19, through the perforations 26 and 27 and out through pipe 28.

It is of course evident that should the pressure in the air chamber 22 become greater than the pressure exerted by the weight of the compressing means combined withthe pressure of springs 12-12 or their equivalent loading means the action of the pistons as they approach the lowest point in their rotation will tend tolift the air chamber and its attached parts including the member 60 and, in suchcase, the traction between the degree to again bring the flanges 61-61 into frictional contact with the ways 623-623.

If it becomes necessary to repair the cylinders, pistons or their valves the securing devices which fasten any particular segmental sections of the members 64 to the side plates 62 are withdrawn and such sections are removed. The bolts 38-38 may now be. unscrewed and the clamping rings 39-39 may be released from the cylinders 40-40 where-- upon said cylinders with their pistons may be. withdrawn for examination or repair and access may be had. to the rubber valves 45.

Actual practice demonstrates great economy in the operation of the rotary air compressor by frictional contact with a moving driving member as distinguished from a rail over which traction wheels have heretofore been driven, which is herein shown as a rotatable pulley but I do not wish to restrict myself as to the specific construction of such 'moving driving member as I am aware that two or more traction Wheels having traction members similar to that marked 64, in frictional contact, may be utilized in place of said pulley; the hub of one of said wheels being driven in any ordinary manner.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

'1. The combination with hub rotatably mounted in a stationary support and carrying 'slidably mounted operating members, and a circular member embracing said hub and adapted to be frictionally driven, of an annular rim rotatable independently of said hub and eccentric thereto and having a way engaged with said operating members and adapted to frictionally engage said circular member, and means for. driving said rim.

2. The combination with a rotary driving element, of a rotary air compressor having an annular rim, in frictional contact With the periphery of said driving element, a hub I within said rim and furnished with a ciroular member adapted to be frictionally driven by said rim.

3. A rotary air compressor comprising a hub rotatably mounted, and having an air chamber and a water chamber partially embracing said air, chamber, a series of air compressing devices extending radially through'said water chamber and communieating with said air'chamber, and means for operating said compressing devices during the rotation of said hub.

4. A rotary air compressor comprising a hub having an air'chamber and a water chamber having lnlet andoutlet channels,

an axially disposed air delivery pipe communicating With said air chamber, an axially disposed water supply pipe communicating with the inlet channels of said water chamher, and a waste Water pipe communicating With the outlet channels ofsaid water chamber.

5. A rotary air compressor comprising a hubhaving an air chamber and a water chamber embracing said air chamber, a series of radially extending cylinders reinovably secured in the wall of the water chamber and having their inner ends seated in the wall of the air chamber, pistons slidj able in said cylinders, and an annular traction member in operative relation tosaid pistons and'having 'a rim formed of a series of segmental sections removably secured between side plates, v

(5. A rotary air compressor comprising a hub having an air chamber, a series of ramounted in said frame With respect to said pulley, and a rotary air compressor journaled in said bearing. blocks and furnished with an annular traction member having a rim in frictional contact with the tread of said pulley and designed to be normally sup.- ported thereby eccentrically to the axis of said compressor, and a circular member mounted on said air compressor and adapted to be frictionally. drive'nby said traction member, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4 MATTHEW c. SHARPNECK.

\Vitnes ses:

HENRY J. MILLER,

M. HARRINGTON.

said pulley, of bearing blocks slidably' 

